Clerical garment with military collar



March 25, 1969 J TOOMFY ET AL 3,434,160

CLERICAL GARMENT WITH MILITARY COLLAR Filed June 15, 1967 FIG. 3

JOHN A. TOOMEY LAWRENCE 7.' TOOME Y INVENTOR.

BY M ffl United States Patent M CLERICAL GARMENT WITH MILITARY COLLAR I John A. Toomey and Lawrence T. Toomey, both R. J. Toomey Company, 75 Webster St., Worcester, Mass. 01603 Filed June 13, 1967, Ser. No. 645,753 Int. Cl. A41b 3/00, 1/12 US. Cl. 2-129 13 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A clerical shirt having a neckband and an attached folded-over soft collar thereon, said collar being secured to the garment only at the lower edge of the neckband at the corners of the lapel portions of the collar, thus providing entrances between the neckband and the lapels of the folded-over collar for the reception and holding of a separate relatively stiff collar between the neckband This construction avoids the prior art construction represented in Gleeson US. Patent 3,068,486 of complete lines of stitching 16 all around the collar and the neckband and is a much simpler and less expensive construction achieving a similar object.

This invention relates in general to the military type of clerical garment which may be in the form of a shirt, vest, rabat, etc. The principal object of the present invention resides in the provision of a shirt-attached, folded-over soft collar with a gap between the lapels thereof to disclose the white detachable, semistiif collar in a military manner, together with means providing maintenance of the detachable white collar firmly fixed in desired location. The corners of the lapels are tacked down onto the material of the shirt of the neckband as for instance by stitching, leaving a pair of entrances into pockets, one at each side of the center gap in the soft collar into which the ends of the white detachable collar are inserted, said white detachable collar having shoulders or notches in the lower edge thereof for receiving said tacking and holding the white collar firmly in position, so that it cannot become detached from the garment accidentally.

This is especially important for instance in a short inexpensive type of detachable collar, the ends of which are tucked under the folded-over collar portion of the neckband, such short detachable collars being very apt to become accidentally released in the absence of the present invention.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in front elevation showing one form of the novel construction with parts broken away;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the detachable collar illustrated in FIG. 1; and

FIGS. 3 and 4 are front views on a larger scale showing types of detachable collars which can be used with the garment shown in FIG. 1.

Although this invention is applicable to many different garments, it has been shown as applied to a more or less conventional clerical shirt 10. The shirt is provided with a more or less conventional neckband 12 which 3,434,160 Patented Mar. 25, 1969 may have fasteners 14 or the like at its ends for securing its end tabs together and attached thereto and forming an integral part thereof there is a soft fabric folded-over collar portion indicated at 16.

The ends of the folded-over collar portion 16 terminate in generally square-cut spaced edges 18 and 20 forming spaced lapels which leave a gap therebetween as clearly shown in FIG. 1 at the front of the garment. It is through this gap that the detachable white collar may be seen. This is the only point where the white collar is visible, and this provides the military collar construction.

The lapels of the folded-over portion 16- of the collar are tacked down as by stitching at 22 and 24 to the shirt material or to the neckband as may be more convenient. This is done by a few simple stitches or by any other tacking means, but it is a permanent connection which is always present and is inconspicuous in the finished garment. The folded-over collar portion 16 need not be attached at any other point in its circumference with respect to the garment or to the neckband although if desired, other slight tacks may also be made.

This construction provides entrances between the lapels at 18 and 20 and the neckband 12 through which the ends of the semistiff, detachable white collar 26 are insertable as into pockets, to run around the neckband under the folded-over collar portion 16.

The collar 26 shown in FIG. 1 may be as long as desired and it is provided at the lower edge portion thereof which is indicated at 28 with a notch 30' which corresponds in its seated position with the tacking 22. There also is preferably a second notch 32 spaced from notch 30 the same distance as the space between tacks 22 and 24 and the notch 32 receives tacking 24, see FIG. 1.

In FIG. 1 the fold of the collar portion 16 relative to the neckband is indicated at 34 and it will be seen that there is a certain definite distance between the tacking 22 and this fold as there is also between tacking 24 and the same fold 34 at the other side of the gap between the lapel. The upper edge of the collar is indicated as at 36. One end of the collar 26 is thrust into for instance the entrance at 20 and when notch 30 coincides with tacking 22, the latter will be seated in the notch and held there.

The other end of the collar is then bent over and threaded into the entrance at 18 and the notch 32 will then receive tacking 24 in the same manner that tacking 30 receives tacking 22. These ends may have to be thrust with some small degree of force into the entrances because of the relative dimensions of the height of the collar and the distance between fold 34 and the tacking 22 and 24, but the material of the collar is of course flexible and it is easy enough to slide the collar into position as described. It will be seen that the collar is now firmly held in the correct central position thereof and will not become accidentally dislodged therefrom. If desired, the notches may be provided with an inclined edge as at 33, for easier insertion.

The same action can be provided by the short and cheaper collar indicated at 38. In this case there is a notch 40 in the lower edge of the collar and this corresponds exactly with notch 30' in collar 26. The end of the short collar 38 is positioned in the garment as aforesaid. In this case of course a notch comparable to that at 32 can also be used but also the width of the collar 38 from the inwardly indented shoulder portion thereof at 42 to its end 44 may be diminished in such a way that the tacking 24 will hold the edge at 46 tightly with respect to the fold 34 as before. It is easier to insert this end of the collar in position inasmuch as the width between the edges 46 and 48 of this collar is now the same or even very slightly smaller than the distance between the fold 34 and tacking 24.

In FIG. 4 the collar may be long or short with a central extended tab 50 in its lower edge 52, forming oppositely facing shoulders 54 serving the same purpose as the notches 30, 32 and 40 and shoulder 42. In this case the width of the collar between edges 52 and 56 is equal to or slightly less than the distance from the tacks to the fold 34, but the collar is easier to put on and is still held in position against accidental removal.

This invention provides a very inexpensive and fineappearing military clerical collar where the detachable white collar is firmly held in position and cannot accidentally become dislodged, and this is true even with the very short collar 38 in FIG. 3 which otherwise is apt to become dislodged to the embarrassment of the wearer.

What we claim is:

1. A clerical garment comprising a separate relatively stiff collar, a neckband and an attached folded-over soft collar portion on said neckband, said folded-over collar portion having spaced lapels forming a gap therebetween, each lapel having a corner, means securing the corners of the lapels to the garment providing entrances between the neckband and the lapels of the collar portion receiving the ends of said separate relatively still collar between the neckband and the folded-over collar portion, and interengaging means on the separate collar interengaging with the means securing the corners of the lapels to the garment fixing the separate collar to the garment.

2. The clerical garment of claim 1 wherein said interengaging means comprises a shoulder in the lower edge of the separate collar, means securing the corner of the lapel to the garment engaging the shoulder.

3. The clerical garment of claim 1 wherein said interengaging means comprises a pair of spaced shoulders in the lower edge of the separate collar, the means securing the corners of the lapels to the garment engaging the shoulders.

4. The clerical garment of claim 1 wherein said interengaging means comprises a pair of shoulders in the lower edge of the separate collar, the means securing the corners of the lapels to the garment engaging the shoulders, said shoulders facing in opposite directions.

5. The clerical garment of claim 1 wherein said interengaging means comprises a pair of shoulders in the lower edge of the separate collar, the means securing the corners of the lapels to the garment engaging the shoulders, said shoulders facing in opposite directions and there being an extension in width on the separate collar between the shoulders so that the separate collar is narrower from each shoulder to the adjacent end of the separate collar than it is between the shoulders.

6. The clerical garment of claim 1 wherein said interengaging means comprises a notch in the lower edge of the separate collar, the notch receiving the means securing the corners of the lapels to the garment.

7. The clerical garment of claim 1 wherein said interengaging means comprises a pair of spaced notches in the lower edge of the separate collar, the notches reeciving the respective means securing the corners of the lapels to the garment.

8. The clerical garment of claim 1 wherein said interengaging means comprises a pair of spaced notches in the lower edge of the separate collar, the notches receiving the respective means securing the corners of the lapels to the garment, said separate collar having a portion reduced in width from at least one of said notches to the end of the collar for ease in entering this portion of the separate collar into the respective entrance and the space between the folded-over soft collar portion and the neckband.

9. A detachable collar for a clerical garment comprising an elongated, semistiff, generally white body member having an upper edge and a lower edge, there being means forming a shoulder in the lower edge in an area adjacent the central portion thereof, and a second shoulder spaced from the first shoulder.

10. The detachable collar of claim 9 wherein said collar is wider between shoulders than in the other areas thereof.

11. The collar of claim 9 wherein said means is a notch, and the second shoulder is spaced from the notch.

12. The collar of claim 9 wherein said means is a notch, and said collar being reduced in width from the second shoulder to the adjacent end of the collar.

13. The collar of claim 9 wherein said means is a notch.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,927,326 3/1960 Lacoste 2-116 2,934,768 5/1960 Williams 2-103 3,068,486 12/1962 Gleeson 2-129 JAMES R. BOLER, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 2-127 

